Daily Archives: September 1, 2017

“The most compassionate and loving thing that we can do for people is help them get to Heaven.” ~ Bishop Thomas Paprocki

There are many people who engage in “convenient lies” when dealing with others. If someone goes out disheveled and dirty and we tell that person he or she looks good, we are not doing that person a favor. We are trying not to hurt their feelings but they may be hurt even more when someone else points out their appearance. We may have been able to help them be presentable but we failed to do so for the sake of “compassion”.

I know that is a minor example; but, it is one of thousands of examples that easily could be plucked out of the air. We lie all the time in order to save someone’s feelings. We lie in order to save face. We lie in order to protect someone’s reputation. However, all those lies add up and the truth eventually comes out nonetheless. However, we have distorted that truth with our lies and the people we may have been trying to “protect” will become more hurt because we would not be truthful with them in the first place.

I know that there will be several people who come up to me today after reading this and say things like “what do you think of my shirt?” “What do you think of my hair?” But, you know, if you can joke about it like that, you know what I am talking about, don’t you?

The most compassionate and loving thing that we can do for people is to help them get to heaven. We cannot do that by stretching the truth. We can only help others by “laying it on the line” and letting them know what they need to hear. Of course, we need to tell people truths as compassionately as possible. However, we must not engage in deception. We must live as people of truth. That is the only way to love others.

Jesus is love. He told His people nothing but truth. He was hated and despised for it but He proclaimed the truth nonetheless.

One of the reasons that we engage in deception is that we do not want to be despised and rejected. We value our comfort too much. We value friendship. We value our reputation. We do not want to be looked down to by others.

We need to look up to the Lord this day and do what He would do. When He met a sinner, He challenged the sinner even as He loved the sinner. When He met someone doing good, He encouraged their goodness. He let people know what was important by the words He spoke and the manner in which He lived — and died.

Let us attempt to do the same today.

FAITH ACTION: Choose words wisely and well this day. Above all, choose to be truthful to all.